Man accused of kidnapping, murder after woman’s body found near Priest River

Bonner County sheriff’s deputies have arrested a man on suspicion of murdering a woman whose body was found in a remote area north of Priest River last week.

The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office said 66-year-old Eveline U. Pederson was reported missing by her longtime partner, Joseph Clark, on Wednesday.

Detectives, along with a volunteer search-and-rescue team and a dog trained to look for cadavers, found Pederson’s body on Friday, the sheriff’s office said.

An investigation led detectives to arrest 67-year-old Bradley M. Leader, who had been living on the same property as Pederson and Clark, the sheriff’s office said.

Leader was booked into the Bonner County Jail on charges of second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and aggravated assault, the sheriff’s office said.